Tasted . . . the Lord is Good

Christians who want to grow into mature Christians, need to be taking in the “pure” Word of God every day. What do I mean by “pure”? Bible studies are great. Biblical novels are wonderful. But these are not substitutions for just reading the Word. What you need is just you and God’s Word with no commentaries other than the ones the Lord’s truth will speak into your heart.

“So that you may grow up in your salvation now that you have tasted that the Lord is good,” I Peter 2:2b.

God gave the Israelites manna in the wilderness and their responsibility was to gather it each day. This is a picture for us of the necessity of collecting our spiritual food each day. None of us would ever go through a day and forget to eat our physical food, so why would we think we could make it through a day without spiritual food?

Important as all of this is, our true incentive for spending time daily with God is not simply because of our need, but because the Lord wants to meet with us. Time with Him is not only a duty—it is a great privilege and honor. Don’t be surprised if Satan brings distractions and hindrances to try and keep you from this valuable time with the Lord.

“Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God,” Matthew 4:4 (NIV). We need His Word in order to even live.

We’ve talked about what daily Bible time means or looks like and that it is up to us to make time. But when can a busy woman fit it in? Well, there are many of us who want to believe it doesn’t matter when. But if we look at the life of Jesus again, we will see that He sets the example for early morning. Let me start by saying that morning is not commanded, but it certainly appears to be recommended.

“In the morning, oh LORD, You hear my voice; in the morning I lay my request before You and wait in expectation,” Psalm 5:3 (NIV).

Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where He prayed,” Mark 1:35 (NIV).

When God gave the children of Israel the food called manna in the wilderness, they had to gather it in the morning. Think of the Bread of Life, the Word of God. Picture it as something that we should be gathering in the morning, so that we have our portion for the day. Daily bread is spiritual bread as well as physical bread.

Start early in the morning, if that’s at all possible. We’ll talk about Bible reading later, but it is mentioned in this Scripture that I want to share with you now about the “when” being in the morning. In Exodus 34:2, we read God’s word to Moses, “Be ready in the morning, and then come up on Mount Sinai. Present yourself to Me there on the top of the mountain.” (NIV)

What a great idea. Be ready in the morning and present ourselves before God. Doesn’t that sound like a great idea?